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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. ground — crushed
  6. present — there
  7. ground — the earth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — a committee
  12. chest — a box
  13. band — a music group
  14. rush — hurry
  15. present — the time now
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. present — a gift
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. board — to get on
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — a position
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com